Robert Coverdale's Struggle; Or, on the Wave of Success Read online

  Produced by Gary Sandino, from scans generously providedby the Internet Archive (https://www.archive.org)

  Robert Coverdale's Struggle

  By HORATIO ALGER, Jr.

  Author of "Tom Temple's Career,"

  "Tom Thatcher's Fortune," "Tom Turner's Legacy,"

  "The Train Boy," Etc.

  A. L. BURT COMPANY, PUBLISHERS

  NEW YORK

  ROBERT COVERDALE'S STRUGGLE

  CHAPTER I

  A FISHERMAN'S CABIN

  "Robert, have you seen anything of your uncle?"

  "No, aunt."

  "I suppose he's over at the tavern as usual," said the womandespondently. "He drinks up about all he earns, and there's littleenough left for us. I hope you won't follow in his steps, Robert."

  "You may be sure I won't, Aunt Jane," said the boy, noddingemphatically. "I wouldn't drink a glass of rum for a hundred dollars."

  "God keep you in that resolution, my dear boy! I don't want my sister'sson to go to destruction as my husband is doing."

  My story opens in a small fishing village on the coast of one of the NewEngland States. Robert Coverdale, whom I have briefly introduced, is theyoung hero whose fortunes I propose to record.

  He is a strong, well-made boy, with a frank, honest face, embrowned byexposure to the sun and wind, with bright and fearless eyes and a manlylook. I am afraid his dress would not qualify him to appear to advantagein a drawing-room.

  He wore a calico shirt and well-patched trousers of great antiquity andstockings and cowhide shoes sadly in need of repairs.

  Some of my well-dressed boy readers, living in cities and large towns,may be disposed to turn up their noses at this ragged boy and wonder atmy taste in choosing such a hero.

  But Robert had manly traits, and, in spite of his poor clothes,possessed energy, talent, honesty and a resolute will, and a boy soendowed cannot be considered poor, though he does not own a dollar,which was precisely Robert's case.

  Indeed, I may go further and say that never in the course of his life offifteen years had he been able to boast the ownership of a hundredcents.

  John Trafton, his uncle, was a fisherman. His small house, or cabin, waspicturesquely situated on the summit of a cliff, at the foot of whichrolled the ocean waves, and commanded a fine sea view.

  That was perhaps its only recommendation, for it was not only small, butfurnished in the plainest and scantiest style. The entire furniture ofthe house would not have brought twenty-five dollars at auction, yet fortwenty-five years it had been the home of John and Jane Trafton and fortwelve years of their nephew, Robert.

  My readers will naturally ask if the fisherman had no children of hisown. There was a son who, if living, would be twenty-three years old,but years before he had left home, and whether Ben Trafton was living ordead, who could tell? Nothing had been heard of him for five years.

  Mrs. Trafton's affections had only Robert for their object, and to hersister's son she was warmly attached--nearly as much so as if he hadbeen her own son.

  Her husband's love of drink had gradually alienated her from him, andshe leaned upon Robert, who was always ready to serve her with boyishdevotion and to protect her, if need be, from the threats of herhusband, made surly by drink.

  Many days she would have gone to bed supperless but for Robert. He wouldpush out to sea in his uncle's boat, catch a supply of fish, selling apart if he could or trade a portion for groceries. Indeed he did morefor the support of the family than John Trafton did himself.

  "It's about time for supper, Robert," said his aunt; "but I've only gota little boiled fish to offer you."

  "Fish is good for the brains. Aunt Jane," said Robert, smiling.

  "Well, I suppose it's no use waiting for your uncle. If he's at thetavern, he will stay there until he is full of liquor and then he willreel home. Come in and sit down to the table."

  Robert entered the cabin and sat down at a side table. His aunt broughthim a plate of boiled fish and a potato.

  "I found just one potato in the cupboard, Robert," she said.

  "Then eat it yourself, aunt. Don't give it to me."

  "No, Robert; I've got a little toast for myself. There was a slice ofbread too dry to eat as it was, so I toasted it and soaked it in hotwater. That suits me better than the potato."

  "Haven't you any tea, aunt--for yourself, I mean?" Robert added quickly."I don't care for it, but I know you do."

  "I wish I had some. Tea always goes to the right spot," said Mrs.Trafton; "but I couldn't find a single leaf."

  "What a pity!" said Robert regretfully.

  "Yes," sighed Mrs. Trafton; "we have to do without almost everything. Itmight be so different if Mr. Trafton wouldn't drink."

  "Did he always drink?"

  "He's drank, more or less, for ten years, but the habit seems to havegrown upon him. Till five years ago two-thirds of his earnings came tome to spend for the house, but now I don't average a dollar a week."

  "It's too bad, Aunt Jane!" said Robert energetically.

  "So it is, but it does no good to say so. It won't mend matters."

  "I wish I was a man."

  "I am glad you are not, Robert."

  "Why are you glad that I am a boy?" asked Robert in surprise.

  "Because when you are a man you won't stay here. You will go out intothe world to better yourself, and I shan't blame you. Then I shall beleft alone with your uncle, and Heaven only knows how I shall get along.I shall starve very likely."

  Robert pushed back his chair from the table and looked straight at hisaunt.

  "Do you think. Aunt Jane," he demanded indignantly, "that I will desertyou and leave you to shift for yourself?"

  "I said, Robert, that I shouldn't blame you if you did. There isn't muchto stay here for."

  "I am sorry you have such a poor opinion of me, Aunt Jane," said the boygravely. "I am not quite so selfish as all that. I certainly should liketo go out into the world, but I won't go unless I can leave youcomfortable."

  "I should miss you, Robert, I can't tell how much, but I don't want totie you down here when you can do better. There isn't much for me tolive for--I'm an old woman already--but better times may be in store foryou."

  "You are not an old woman, Aunt Jane. You are not more than fifty."

  "I am just fifty, Robert, but I feel sometimes as if I were seventy."

  "Do you know, Aunt Jane, I sometimes think that brighter days are comingto both of us? Sometimes, when I sit out there on the cliff and look outto sea, I almost fancy I can see a ship coming in laden with good thingsfor us."

  Mrs. Trafton smiled faintly.

  "I have waited a long time for my ship to come in, Robert," she said."I've waited year after year, but it hasn't come yet."

  "It may come for all that."

  "You are young and hopeful. Yours may come in some day, but I don'tthink mine ever will."

  "Have you anything for me to do, aunt?"

  "Not at present, Robert."

  "Then I'll study a little."

  There was an unpainted wooden shelf which Robert had made himself and onit were half a dozen books--his sole library.

  From this shelf he took down a tattered arithmetic and a slate andpencil, and, going out of doors, flung himself down on the cliff andopened the arithmetic well toward the end.

  "I'll try this sum in cube root," he said to himself. "I got it wrongthe last time I tried."

  He worked for fifteen minutes and a smile of triumph lit up his face.

  "It comes right," he said. "I think I understand cube root pretty wellnow. It was a good idea working by myself. When I left sch
ool I had onlygot through fractions. That's seventy-five pages back and I understandall that I have tried since. I won't be satisfied till I have gone tothe end of the very last page."

  Here his aunt came to the door of the cabin and called "Robert."

  "All right, aunt; I'm coming."

  The boy rose to his feet and answered the summons.